Adult Swim has cut ties with Justin Roiland in the wake of the news that the Rick and Morty co-creator was charged with felony domestic abuse in Orange County.
“Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Boomerang senior vp communications Marie Moore said in a statement Tuesday.
Adult Swim distributes Rick and Morty, the hit adult animated comedy that Roiland co-created and executive produced, and for which he voiced both the titular Rick and Morty. If The Hollywood Reporter reported on January 17, Adult Swim is not even halfway through a massive 70-episode sequence for the show, one of the market’s most popular titles, commissioned by the channel in 2018.
Sources say Rick and Morty is set to continue, with Roiland’s voice roles due to be recast. Although Roiland will always be credited as co-creator, fellow co-creator Dan Harmon will now be the sole showrunner. The show is locked up until season 10.
Roiland still has several projects going on with Hulu, including as the streamer’s co-creator Solar Opposites, where he voices a main character (the show was renewed for a fifth season in October). On the platform Koala Man, which premiered on January 9, Roiland does voice work and is also an executive producer. Roiland also has an overall deal with 20th Television Animation, which is producing Solar Opposites and Koala Man. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Hulu and 20th Television Animation for comment.
On January 12, NBC News was the first to break the news that Roiland was charged with one count of domestic battery with bodily injury and one count of false imprisonment by threat, violence, fraud or deception in Orange County based on an alleged 2020 incident with an unnamed Jane Doe that Roiland was dating. Roiland pleaded not guilty, and was released on a $50,000 bond in 2020. Several preliminary hearings have already taken place, and Roiland is expected to return to court April 27.
In a statement earlier this month, Roiland’s attorney T. Edward Welbourn said media coverage of the case was “inaccurate.” Welbourn added, “To be clear, not only is Justin innocent, but we also have every expectation that this case will be on track to be dismissed once the district attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence.”
Lesley Goldberg contributed reporting.
